London assembly member for North East London — fighting your corner at City Hall

16th April 2020

3:18pm

COVID-19 UPDATE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FUNDING

Responding to the Government’s
announcement of increased support for domestic abuse victims during the
Coronavirus outbreak, the Mayor said on April 11, “I am pleased to see the
Government finally starting to take this vital issue seriously but ministers
must go further than this in terms of funding for services and as well as
helplines.”

I welcome his statement because, according to some campaigners, the number of women killed by men during the first three weeks of the government’s lockdown is the highest it’s been for at least 11 years.

There’s
better news locally in the form of a letter I received from Cllr Kaya
Comer-Schwartz and Chief Superintendent Mr Raj Kohli. Regarding Islington’s
Violence Against Women and Girls services, the message that comes through loud
and clear is that they are well-prepared to respond to the Covid-19 emergency. That’s heartening news indeed.